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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26276188">‘Dating’</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/becki/pseuds/becki'>becki</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Romance, Dating, Dorks in Love, F/M, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pining, Post Ending, Post Season 5, Romance, Slow Burn, catra and hordak are friends in this because i said so, who else is gonna help our poor space bat understand his feelings?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:14:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,444</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26276188</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/becki/pseuds/becki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“So, what’s it like? You know, dating geek princess?”</p><p>Hordak’s brow furrows at her words.</p><p>…Dating?</p><p>-</p><p>Hordak wants to ask Entrapta on a date after first learning about the concept from Catra. It goes about as well as you’d expect.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>251</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Concept</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i finally got to writing more entraptak again! the thought of their first date after the ending of season 5 was something that’s been stuck in my head for a while, so that’s what this is all about! i’m splitting it into three shorter chapters, however, for pacing reasons</p><p>i hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If there’s anything Hordak could never get sick of, it’s watching Entrapta talk when excited about something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a very common occurrence, and that’s the best part. Whenever one of Entrapta’s interests comes up - science, tech, robots, etc. - she always takes the opportunity to talk about it </span>
  <em>
    <span>regardless </span>
  </em>
  <span>if anyone around her cares or not. Her ruby eyes light up like shining stars, her smile becomes wide and beaming, her voice rises and speeds up, and just a general air of </span>
  <em>
    <span>excitement </span>
  </em>
  <span>seems to overcome her in a crashing wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak could </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> get bored of the sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even now, as he sits on the grassy outskirts of Bright Moon right by the wood’s entrance, his eyes never leave her while he watches her chat in the near distance with Force Captain Sco-...Uh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Princess </span>
  </em>
  <span>Scorpia. She currently seems to be talking about space; at least, so it appears if her talk about her theories on the life expectancy of stars meant anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scorpia doesn’t seem to understand anything Entrapta’s saying, but her attention is solely given to her regardless of that. Scorpia watches in silence as Entrapta’s goes on and on, her lilac hair waving this way and that in various gestures and movements. Her gloved hands move excitedly around as well, along with the rest of her body wiggling about as if she can’t quite contain her energy - more so than usual, it seems.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak isn’t really surprised by her sudden restlessness. They just spent the past few hours in a meeting room in Bright Moon with all of the princesses and other important figures, discussing future plans for </span>
  <span>Etheria’s regrowth. Hordak, along with Entrapta, had already done community service in Beast Island for a couple weeks, but even after that there’s still lots of regrowth in the entire planet to be done by </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>the princesses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And while the meeting was important, it was certainly long - even for Hordak’s taste. So, he’s not shocked to see Entrapta finally letting loose her pent up energy, fueled by her talking about one of her favorite things. And it’s a good thing Scorpia doesn’t seem to want to interrupt, for chances are, she probably wouldn’t even be able to get a word in if she tried. Instead, she simply nods every few seconds to show attentiveness to Entrapta as a faint smile rests on her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And only then does Hordak realize there’s one on his own, too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sudden warmth creeps onto his cheek at the realization, and he quickly bites the smile down, his ears drooping parallel to the ground. He tries to fight back the blossom of heat on his face, but to no avail. He isn’t surprised; he </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>can seem to be able to control it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s embarrassing, but at least no one else is around to-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never thought I’d see the day you’d blush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak jerks to attention, his head snapping up. His eyes immediately land on a shadowed figure there, blocking out the sun and encasing it in darkness. Hordak squints his reddened eyes to see better, and at the same time, the figure steps closer to be fully seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s eyes simply widen, his mouth opened to say something but not sure exactly what there is </span>
  <em>
    <span>to </span>
  </em>
  <span>say. He watches in silence as Catra rounds over towards his side and sits down on the grass. She draws her knees up, her tail swishing around them to encase them, before she turns to face him as if waiting for an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes him a second as sudden initial feelings wash over him. Feelings of anger, of spite, of </span>
  <em>
    <span>hatred</span>
  </em>
  <span> - they all flood over him like a dam set free as he stares at his former second-in-command. It’s purely on instinct, and it’s not something he can control - if anything, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wishes </span>
  </em>
  <span>those feelings would never return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, since the war, they’ve talked - and apologized - to each other. And now, things have been relatively peaceful between them in recent weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, thankfully, within a few moments, those initial feelings float away and rightfully retreat back to where they came. And it’s a good thing - he doesn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>wish </span>
  </em>
  <span>to hold grudges towards her anymore for all that happened before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s over. It’s done. All they can do now is look to the future and leave the past behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the faint sound of Catra’s tail impatiently thumping against the grass, Hordak blinks back to a sudden reality and comes to the embarrassing realization that he hasn’t responded yet in what’s probably an odd amount of time. Flustered, he quickly clears his throat before looking away for a split second, unable to hold Catra’s sharp gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was not </span>
  <em>
    <span>blushing.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” she replies, her voice laced with sarcasm. She then smirks, adding, “but that really looked like blushing to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak gives a low growl in response, and he fully averts his gaze to the grass as he spits out, “I’m failing to see what your point-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. I think I know why now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s ears perk up. Her voice is awfully teasing, he notices, and not in a way that puts him at ease. He whips his head over to meet her eyes; however, he finds them to be locked somewhere else. Somewhere in front of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Locked on Scorpia and Entrapta.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The corners of Catra’s mouth quickly upturn into a devilish grin. She then pulls her eyes back, and they lock with Hordak’s. Her smile widens even further - if that was even possible - and her eyebrows wiggle in yet another teasing manner</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Entrapta, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s ears fall, and that familiar warmth can already be felt burning on his face. “My relations with others do not concern you, Catra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She giggles - a high-pitched sound that’s filled to the brim with amusement. Who knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> she finds so humorous about all this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” she says, her words light with the edges of laughter, “I’m not shocked or anything. I already figured. And, honestly, you guys are perfect for each other. Really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile calms into something more sincere, something more genuine. Her words seem to be good-natured, as well. Yet, Hordak still finds himself looking away in an escape from her gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, thank you,” he sputters out, all the while cringing inwardly at his stilted tone. At least he managed to get the words out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fall into a relatively peaceful silence then, and the only sounds become the faraway voice of Entrapta and the rare input from Scorpia. Hordak’s ears perk up as he listens, and it seems that Entrapta’s now moved onto the topic of the habitability of certain planets she has studied. Her enthusiasm is still as present as ever, her hair that’s wrapped around her tech pad holding it steady as her fingers dance along the screen between excited gestures in the air, and Scorpia remains intrigued. It certainly is an amusing sight to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Hordak is left wondering how much longer until Entrapta will run out of steam and decide to come over when Catra’s curious voice rings out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what’s it like? You know, dating geek princess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s brow furrows at her words.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>…Dating?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s...Well, it’s a word he’s certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard </span>
  </em>
  <span>before, for it’s whispered about as needless gossip amongst his soldiers back in the Fright Zone. He’s aware it’s something that occurs between two people - people that are more than acquaintances, he’s almost certain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, yet, other than that...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks over at her, brow still furrowed and lips downturned in an overall expression of confusion. Catra meets his eyes, and she cocks her head to the side, equally as confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s…” Hordak bites his lip for second before finishing, “What’s ‘dating?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra’s mouth drops open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know what dating is? Seriously?” she sputters out in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak squirms a bit under her intense stare, feeling terribly foolish despite the fact that it was only a simple question. Is he really that uninformed on the ways of Etherians? He thought he had their kind and their strange customs completely mastered by now, but yet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I do not,” he answers gruffly. “I have heard of the term before, but I’m unaware of its true meaning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra simply laughs again, though this time, it sounds almost...pitiful, in an odd way?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wow,” she says, her gaze falling forward once more to stare at Entrapta and Scorpia in the distance, “I just assumed you and Entrapta were, well, dating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She then looks over at him and quirks a brow. “So, you two have never even been on a date? Or, I don’t know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak simply stares back in hopes that she’ll get the message. Which is, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, obviously they haven’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra shakes her head, an amused smile resting on her lips. She seems to think for a minute as her absentminded gaze falls on her lap. Hordak waits in silence for a few moments until finally, she pipes back up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dating is like...It’s like when you want to be more than friends,” she explains. “It’s more </span>
  <em>
    <span>romantic</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I guess. Instead of spending time together in a friendly way, there’s the plus of affection and love and all that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak nods, intrigued. “Go on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For example, me and Adora are dating. We go on dates, which is like when you spend some time together doing something you both enjoy. It basically involves stuff like that, you know? It’s just...It's just different. You’re still friends, but more than that, since you have feelings and stuff for each other,” she finally finishes, her hands waving in the air as if searching for the right words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak is thoughtful for a moment as he lets Catra’s words seep in. As unfamiliar as it is, the concept of ‘dating’ does seem pleasant, he has to admit. And while he and Entrapta have spent lots of time together in the past, this would be...different, wouldn’t it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks up at Entrapta, still chatting with Scorpia. He watches as she bursts into laughter over something - a sweet sound Hordak has grown to adore, a sound that he could never get sick of. Some kind of warmth makes home in his chest as her laugh echoes around him, filling him with feelings he can’t quite describe, can’t quite define. It’s the same feeling he gets whenever she steps a little too close to him, whenever she beams up at him with that shining smile, whenever her hair brushes against his skin, whenever she says something kind to Hordak with utter fondness lacing her words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there’s that smile again, creeping up on his lips and making home there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wants this, he realizes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dating.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Or </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span> it is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how do I approach this?” Hordak blurts out. “Dating, I mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra snorts and gives him an amused look. “It’s not that complicated, Hordak. You ask Entrapta on a date, and see how it goes from there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A date…” Hordak says, a knot forming between his brow as he ponders over it. “You mentioned a date is when you spend time together, correct? Doing something you both enjoy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds about right, yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hums to himself in thought before looking up at Entrapta once more. He thinks of all the things she likes, and the first thing that comes to mind is tech. However, he’s certain that anything involving tech couldn’t be a ‘dating’ activity, so that one’s out. He also knows she loves robots, but still, there’s certainly no way that could be made into a date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta’s faraway voice suddenly cuts into his thoughts, and distracted, he finds himself listening in. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>seems to be talking about space - this time, about the possibilities of black holes in further galaxies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait a minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Space.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak smirks a bit to himself, a blossom of pride blooming inside him, as a sudden realization dawns upon him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>what to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And before he can even say anything else to Catra, Hordak watches as Entrapta waves goodbye to Scorpia and begins to bound over towards where Catra and Hordak are sitting. It’s not too far of a distance, and in mere moments (with her hair carrying her over as a huge assistance), she has bounded over to stand before the two of them. She waves her hand in greeting, smiling brightly all the while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Hordak! Hi, Catra!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak says hello, while Catra simply offers a small smile in Entrapta’s direction before moving to stand. She stretches in place for a few seconds, and then she turns to face both Hordak and Entrapta.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna head out and meet up with Adora,” she says, gesturing towards Bright Moon’s castle in the near distance. “I’ll catch you two later some time. Good talking with you, Hordak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, without allowing any time for either of them to respond, she’s gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you two talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak immediately stills in panic at Entrapta’s sudden question - perhaps she had heard? Perhaps she knows already? However, when he looks down at Entrapta and their eyes meet, he finds that her expression is genuinely curious - as it always is, to be fair. But, still. There’s no hint of anything other than friendly curiosity there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, nothing of any real importance,” Hordak stammers. He cringes inwardly at his words - were they too obvious? Too defensive?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Entrapta doesn’t seem to notice. Her expression remains amiable as she smiles up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad you two are becoming friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak shrugs. “It is certainly...strange, but I’m becoming more familiar with it. She can be a pleasant company on some occasions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so, too,” Entrapta says, already starting to walk away towards the inner parts of the woods where the Horde-issued ship they used to get here is located. Her voice carries behind her as she then calls out, “Now, c’mon! Let’s head back home to Dryl. Emily probably misses us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak complies, eager to get back to the princess’ kingdom as well. It’s become a home to him these past weeks - albeit still a bit foreign of a home after years of living in the Fright Zone, but still one that he’s quickly warming up to over time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Especially with Entrapta’s presence there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He meets up with Entrapta and falls into step beside her. As he spares her a glance, aimlessly watching her pigtails swish around in the wind behind her, he thinks back on all he had talked about with Catra. About dating, about dates, about </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’ll ask Entrapta later. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Soon</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But for now, he’s going to go home and reunite with the robot that Entrapta loves - the robot he’s not even sure has the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ability</span>
  </em>
  <span> to miss people like she previously implied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, if makes Entrapta happy, who’s Hordak to argue?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading! the next chapter should be out soon :D</p><p>(come say hi on tumblr! i’m beckkii over there :))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Success</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>here’s the next part! it’s a little short, but i’m pretty sure the next (and last) chapter will be a lot longer, and i hope to have it out as soon as i can!</p><p>but anyways, for now, i hope you enjoy! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He can do this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can do this.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He can do this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows it’s irrational to be nervous, in all honesty. After all, he and Entrapta converse with each other almost constantly, and they now live in the same kingdom. They work on a wide variety of projects together, they go to places together, and they do practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything </span>
  </em>
  <span>together. Hell, she’s the very first person Hordak would go to if he was in need of support of any kind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet, here he is, practically scared to death to enter their shared laboratory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deep down, he knows why he’s particularly nervous now. It’s not like he’s going to go in there and simply have a nice chat with her, or head inside to assist her with whatever she’s currently working on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he’s going in there to ask her on a date. A real, honest date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrifying.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak further approaches the door to the lab and presses his ear against its cool surface. Through the material, he can faintly hear Entrapta’s voice - she’s probably muttering into her recorder as she so often does, or perhaps she’s simply talking to herself since she’s mentioned before that it helps her to focus. However, as much as Hordak tries to listen in, he can’t seem to make out her words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One part of him argues that maybe he should just ask another time. He’s dimly aware that part of him is being cowardly, trying desperately to take the easy way out and pathetically convince him that “she’s busy, she doesn’t want to talk, he shouldn’t bother her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, the realistic part of him knows that he’s never a bother to her. It knows that she doesn’t mind being interrupted by him - in fact, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves </span>
  </em>
  <span>when he joins her while she’s working. It knows that if he were to interrupt her right now, she’d be more than glad to have his company and be able to chat with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It also knows that if he doesn’t do it now, he’ll probably keep pushing it off more and more while finding other weak excuses why he shouldn’t ever even ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lets out a tired sigh, resting his forehead on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Now or never.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>So, with a faint flicker of courage sparking through him, he unlocks the door and steps into the lab. It actually takes him a few moments to locate Entrapta - his eyes initially dart towards the front and center where she usually works, but she isn’t there. His eyes then jump around the room, trying to find her, until the familiar sound of her voice finally guides his gaze towards the upper right of the lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Up there, she’s facing away from the door and propped up on her two pigtails. They’re combined for strength and bent in a ninety-degree angle to keep her high up in the air - one part acts as a pole-like base perpendicular to the floor to keep her steady, while the other is stretched out parallel to the floor so that she can lay on her stomach across it. She mindlessly kicks her feet in the air while, from what Hordak can see at this angle, she reads something on the tech pad in her propped-up hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak waits for a few moments, though she doesn’t seem to notice his presence. Instead, she continues to mumble - not to her recorder, since it doesn’t appear to be around, but to herself instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps I could design the legs with three-quarters density in the material for an improved efficiency speed? Or...Oh! Oh! I could do one-</span>
  <em>
    <span>half </span>
  </em>
  <span>density instead! Imagine the possibilities…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her words trail off there as her thumbs wave about atop the tech pad, probably typing away more information. Hordak gives her a few more seconds to see if she’ll pipe back up again, but she then falls into a drawn out silence. As she continues typing, one strand of hair reaches down all the way to the floor to pick up a glass full of some kind of fizzy drink - the grape kind, it appears - and she brings it up to her lips to take a long sip from the straw.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Now or never.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Entrapta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of her name finally grabs her attention. Entrapta’s head whips around to face the door as her strand of hair that once held the drink to her lips falters in the air. Her expression is a bit surprised at first, but Hordak can almost pinpoint the </span>
  <em>
    <span>exact </span>
  </em>
  <span>moment she realizes it’s him; her gaze softens into something fond, her smile widens, and her features shimmer with joy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hordak!” she exclaims, the word spoken so happily that it causes something to warm blossom within him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within seconds, her hair maneuvers her around to lower her back on the ground so she’s standing on two feet again, and the drink is set nearby on the floor once more. Now, one strand of hair is holding onto the tech pad that was once in her hands, and it wavers loosely in the air beside her. Hordak simply watches; he still doesn’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>she manages to control all of her hair and its separate tendrils like that at once, but it sure is impressive indeed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She steps forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Do you wanna see the new bot I’m designing? Look!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Using the one strand of hair that’s holding onto the pad in a death grip, she brings the screen right up to Hordak’s line of gaze. Distracted by the sudden view of images, he finds himself looking them over; it seems to be various blueprints of a new robot that he finds to be oddly similar in design to Emily. Various notes and paragraphs are strewn about the designs, as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to program Emily a friend and make this new bot affectionate, too! But, I was thinking I could design the new bot even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>advanced,” she says, withdrawing the tech pad and carefully placing it on a nearby chair. Her hands wave excitedly in the air as she adds, “Wouldn’t that be </span>
  <em>
    <span>fascinating</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak can’t help but smirk at the utter delight in her expression. Who knew programming robots could make a person so happy? And while he knows this whole conversation isn’t really the one he had planned, he might as well indulge her, at least to see her smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would, indeed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She then cocks her head to the side, and a questioning look appears in her eyes. “Do you wanna help? I know you don’t like robotics as much, but I feel like this could be a fun project to work on. I have to go see Emily first to take some measurements and such, but after that…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, Hordak doesn’t know how to respond. Part of him would </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>to just assist her right now in whatever she was working on; the thought of simply listening to her talk about her theories and design plans </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> sound enticing. He’d get the opportunity to watch that crashing wave of excitement come over her once more - her eyes would start to shine, her smile would become bright, her voice would fill with joy. All things he could never get sick of, all things that sound so very tempting to witness right now if he would say yes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, he came here with a goal. He can’t let himself get distracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Now or never.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, actually, I came here to...talk. About something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak freezes in place, cringing internally at his awkward phrasing. Well, how else could he have phrased it? Hordak isn’t certain. His thoughts are becoming jumbled now, and not helping matters, his heavy armor is suddenly starting to feel too tight on his body. And before he knows it, he can practically hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Is he starting to blush, too? He can’t tell, he doesn't know, but what if she can-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Talk? What about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta’s sudden words cut off Hordak’s rambling train of thought, and he finds his gaze that had started to unknowingly wander toward the ground snap back up to meet her eyes. He studies her face, searching for any sign to better understand what she’s thinking, only to find it completely neutral and oblivious. If anything, she seems only </span>
  <em>
    <span>intrigued </span>
  </em>
  <span>by what Hordak has to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, it’s more of a...a question…” Hordak trails off there, not knowing how else to finish that sentence. Well, to be honest, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>know. He just can’t seem to get the words out, as if a lump had made home in his throat and decided to block out his airway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since when was that possible for his species? It </span>
  <em>
    <span>shouldn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>be possible, but it sure as hell feels like it is now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Entrapta says when Hordak fails to finish, quirking a brow. She then maneuvers her pigtails to take the same form as it did earlier - one part as a base, another part as a platform to sit on - though it’s much closer to the ground this time, and much smaller in shape. She sits cross-legged on the platform section of her hair, now eye to eye with Hordak, and leans in a bit closer with genuine curiosity dazzling in her gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Hordak immediately wishes she’d just stay standing on the ground because the sudden close proximity is certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> helping matters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering...” he begins before pausing to swallow. The lump </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>doesn’t manage to go away, and neither is loud the thudding he can hear in his ears. Since when did his heartbeat get so loud, anyway? Should that be a cause for concern?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...If we could...spend time. Together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there it is. There’s that blush Hordak was suspecting earlier, now fully burning up his face and ears against his will.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta, however, doesn’t seem to get it. She simply tilts her head to the side, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean? We spend time together almost every day,” she says, words spoken so obviously as if Hordak’s previous sentence was the most foolish thing said today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak fights back the initial urge to groan. It’s not her fault, of course; he didn’t phrase that correctly. Because, well, it’s true - they </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>spend time together almost every day. She’s not being foolish for misunderstanding his question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, how does he articulate that's not exactly what he’s implying?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To better rephrase, I mean...Not...In that way. Not like we commonly do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well he’s just making it worse, isn’t he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m kinda confused...” Entrapta says, leaning back a bit and finally allowing some much-needed space between them. She takes a strand of hair from one of her pigtails and fiddles with it; all the while, her ruby eyes never leave Hordak’s. The air seems to freeze around them as he’s sucked into Entrapta’s intense gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak swallows again. “We could, perhaps, do something...we both enjoy? If you are following?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, obviously she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>following, if the perplexed expression on her face means anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hordak, what’re you talking about?” she says, finally letting go of the stand of hair she was absentmindedly playing with. “Isn’t that something we always do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, one section of her hair morphs into a small hand and starts to to wave in the direction of the rest of the lab, directly mimicking the action of her one </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>hand that follows suit. She continues, “I mean, don’t we spend a lot of time doing our projects together in here? And isn’t that something we both enjoy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yes, but-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak cuts his words off at that, not knowing exactly how to finish. Because the thing is, she has a point - they </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>already spend time together doing things they both enjoy. Mainly scientific work, but still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, that’s not what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>means.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He just isn’t sure how to properly articulate it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sucks in a breath before letting it out, glad to find that the initial pounding in his ears has finally subsided. The bothersome warmth on his face, on the other hand, seems insistent on staying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Entrapta, what I am trying to express is that we do something like that, but...Not in that way.” His ears flick down, practically parallel to the ground now, as he looks away. “If that makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta doesn't answer at first. All that responds to him is utter silence, and Hordak almost worries for a moment that she isn’t even planning on saying something back. In question, he spares her a glance, only to find her looking towards the ground with her eyebrows narrowed deep in thought and a small strand of hair scratching the top of her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden, a light flicks on in her pensive gaze. She snaps her gaze up to lock with Hordak’s, eyes wide and excited, and her gloved fists ball up by each side of her now-smiling face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhhh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, her hair swiftly maneuvers her out of her sitting position. Instead, it now uses both pigtails to raise her body up so she can hover face-to-face with Hordak. Her scarlet eyes shine as they stare into Hordak’s, and her smile beams up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean like a date? Is that what you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak freezes at first, eyes widening in initial surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yes,” he says, subconsciously taking a short step back. “Yes, it is. A date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughs then, her face scrunching up together in delight as a gentle rosy hue colors her cheeks. And when she finally opens her eyes again, she looks at Hordak with amusement dazzling in her gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you just say that?” she says with a causal shrug. “That would’ve made things a lot easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak doesn’t know what to say, still drowning in the initial shock. And there’s that pounding again in his ears, right on cue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright! At least we’re on the same page now!” Entrapta exclaims, cutting Hordak off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not as if he was going to finish that sentence, anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that said, her hair gracefully carries her back down to the floor so she’s standing on two feet again. She then takes a few steps over to grab the still half-full glass of her fizzy drink, and as she sips on the straw, her brow furrows once more in pensive thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So when were you thinking?” she blurts out, eyes snapping towards Hordak’s to lock with his. “I’m free whenever, as you probably already know, so whatever works good for me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Hordak takes a second, his frazzled thoughts trying desperately to settle so he can form a coherent sentence yet failing badly in doing so. “...Tomorrow evening? If that is suitable for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, she places the empty glass on the nearby chair and swaps it out for the tech pad. With that now in hand, and with her eyes never leaving Hordak’s, she starts to walk towards the lab’s entrance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a date!” she confirms once she reaches the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak watches in silence as she opens the door with the code, tosses him one more easy-going smile, and walks out. Part of his mind is registering how she’s leaving to go take measurements on Emily like she said she would for her new project, while the other part is simply too stunned to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That...could’ve gone better. But it could’ve gone worse, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, Hordak will take this as a success.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading! &lt;3</p><p>(also, come say hello on tumblr!! i’m beckkii over there :D)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>alright, last part! it was pretty fun to write, especially since i had to make their own experience with a first date a bit unique. knowing them, i feel as if they wouldn’t exactly follow the proper norms (whatever that is for dating), so it was fun to just go with the flow for them! let them figure things out with their own little experience in love &lt;3</p><p>anyways, i hope you guys enjoy! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Fizzy drinks. Tiny food. Fruit. Soft blanket.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fizzy drinks. Tiny food. Fruit. Soft blanket.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fizzy drinks. Tiny fo-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you remember to grab the yellow kind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak jerks out of his thoughts at the sound of Entrapta’s voice beside him. His gaze snaps away from the open picnic basket in hand to instead land on her walking by his side, who seems to also be eyeing the basket’s contents as well. She’s probably searching for Hordak’s favorite kind of apples - the yellow kind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I did,” Hordak says. Though, despite the fact that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>double-checking everything, he steals another glance at the few golden apples that lay seated in a corner of a basket - just to be certain. “Do not worry, Entrapta.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, just making sure,” she says. “‘Cause I know how badly cranky you get if it’s the red or green kind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta looks up at him then, a sly smirk pulling at the corners of her lips and amusement dazzling in her scarlet eyes. It takes Hordak a second, but soon enough, he realizes that she’s teasing him, obviously. He softens, and a matching smile brightens his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not my fault the other color’s taste is less appealing to me,” is all he says, drawing his eyes back up to stare at the dirt path before him. “And you only enjoy tiny food. So, your opinion on my preferences is just being hypocritical.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She huffs out a laugh. “Alright, alright. Fair enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fall into an easy silence then, each walking side by side through the dirt path of Dryl’s mountain. The place they’re heading to is not far - just a few more minutes walk, Hordak supposes, since they left Crypto Castle a little while ago. Perfect timing, too, as the sun had just finished setting, and darkness - and stars - will blanket the sky very soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak proposed his initial idea of stargazing and a picnic to Entrapta earlier today when she asked what exactly they’d be doing, since he never clarified when he asked her on a date yesterday. So, together, they packed everything up - fizzy drinks, tiny food, and fruit - into a large picnic basket, decided on an exact time to head out, and now are well on their way with basket in Hordak’s hand and large blanket rolled up in Entrapta’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So far, Hordak’s content with how smooth things have been working out. And he’s more than glad that Entrapta seems excited about his initial offer for a date idea. Simplicity, a casual environment, the chance to study the stars and constellations, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>the promise of tiny food was more than enough to win her over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Hordak looks down beside him and steals a glance at her. She’s dressed likewise to how she normally dresses, though a bit more styled and neat. Instead of the same grease-stained white shift that she favors, she’s wearing a rosy pink tee that’s more loose and less form-fitting. And instead of her work overalls, she’s dressed in a crisp light blue pair with clean dark brown boots to match. Her lavender hair is neat and combed more than usual, though it’s still done up in two pigtails just as she always prefers. Even more, her hands are still dressed in her favorite work gloves, and she still wears her one black welding mask on her head. After all, Hordak knows how much better she feels with those two things on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak is dressed similarly - casually, but neat. He has to wear his usual armor for support, but it’s polished and cleaned, and the black dress he now wears is as well. It’s one of his nicer dresses - one that he hardly wore back at the Fright Zone. Some part of him wishes he had more color to his clothes, but he never was one for outlandish and bright colors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, until...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glances down at the glint of purple on his chest. It’s the First One’s crystal that powers his armor - the one Entrapta gave him during the war, the one that she found when he’d originally lost it and was finally put back in its rightful place on his chest, the one with symbols on it that he could never understand despite his various attempts to decipher them. It’s a gleam of shining purple amidst his clothing’s otherwise dark colors, it’s hue akin to the lavender color of Entrapta’s hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He touches it lightly before looking down at her. Her purple pigtails wave behind her, and her vibrant ruby-red eyes dart about as she studies the path still before her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hm</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Perhaps bright colors can be very appealing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I think we’re here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At Entrapta’s voice, Hordak looks ahead to the spot before them. It’s a large clearing on the mountain’s path with the left side being a cliff that overlooks the far-and-wide acres of Etheria, while the right side is the towering stone wall that makes up the mountain Crypto Castle lives on. Lush bushes of leaves and berries liter the area, along with various patches of green grass that sprout exotic flowers and plants. A few boulders are lingering here and there, and clusters of rocks are sprinkled around as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I used to come here all the time to think as a teenager,” Entrapta says, her pigtails raising her body up and bounding her towards the very center of the clearing. “Sometimes my lab could get too loud for me, you know, with the machinery and robots and all that. But it’s very nice out here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak nods. “Indeed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ambles over to where Entrapta stands. She unravels the large indigo blanket that was rolled up in her arms, and she lays it atop the grassy patch. Hordak follows suit by setting down the picnic basket, and together, with the basket resting between them, they kneel down and take out the food inside to set up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak spares a glance at Entrapta. She seems content enough, going to work pulling out her favorite tiny brownies and cupcakes with the hint of a smirk of her face. But, overall she seems very...relaxed. Not nervous or unsure in the way Hordak certainly feels. A question pops into his mind, one that he’s not sure if he should ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, before he knows it, the words are tumbling out of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Entrapta, have you ever...done this before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pauses and looks up, quirking a brow. “Done what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A date,” Hordak clarifies, trying to ignore the slight unsteadiness in his tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhhh!” she says, her eyes brightening with understanding. She takes a second to answer as she pulls out a bottle of her favorite kind of fizzy drink - the grape-flavored kind - and sets it beside her small array of miniature snacks on the blanket. “Yeah, I have! Not too often though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak knows he really shouldn’t pry; he should probably leave it at that. And as he shuts the picnic basket, having finally pulled out his food and set it in front of him, he keeps his mouth shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, yet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With who?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta’s gaze snaps over at at the sound of his voice, and while she seems momentarily a bit shocked, her eyebrows then furrow in thought as she seems to ponder over it. She remains silent as she situates herself to be sitting criss-crossed, all the while scratching the top of her head with a strand of hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm...Just a few people,” she finally says with a slight wave of her gloved hand. “Not in any recent years, though. Mainly just some people I met here and there when I was younger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pauses then as one strand of hair reaches down to wrap around a brownie. The tendril pops it into her mouth, and as she chews, she seems to ponder on the subject with her eyes directed skyward and fingers tapping thoughtfully on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swallows before speaking. “It never really worked out, and to be honest, I didn’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>it ever to once I got to know them more. The people I met just could never seem to...connect with me, I guess? They just didn’t really seem to get me, and I couldn’t really get them. And, well, I didn’t want things to work out if we were never on the same page.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be honest, Hordak can’t fight back the intrigue on this conversation. He’s knowledgeable on some aspects of her past - about her parents, about her past accomplishments, and about what it was like for her growing up. But never any mention of past partners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugs. “They just didn’t really care about the things I did. And they didn’t even really seem to </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to. I felt...annoying, I think.” Her words end there as her gaze falls to her lap. Silence drapes over them for a few seconds before she finally shakes her head, snaps her gaze back up, and blurts out, “But that’s okay! I didn’t mind. I never got serious with those few people, anyway. And like I said, I was younger, so I never even think about them any more. Not at all, to be honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak hums in thought, leaning back his full weight on his hands by his sides. He doesn’t feel any jealousy, of course - after all, that was all in the past, and from his knowledge of Etheria, it’s common to meet many people during a lifetime. He would be more surprised if he learned he was one of the first people Entrapta met that may have been considered something more than a friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, there is some kind of strange feeling within him now. This strange feeling, taking home in his gut and squirming within. It takes him a few seconds to understand it, but he finally does - he feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>confused.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How could someone make Entrapta feel as if she’s so-called “annoying?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows she never fit in with the princesses, and he presumes it may have to do with her excitement over things that never interested them, such as tech and space. And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>that she can get overly excited about such things, talking non-stop in a fast pace that can be hard to follow at times.</span>
</p><p><span>But, when he sees her that way...When he sees the way her eyes light up, her smile widening and beaming, her voice rising and speeding up, an air of excitement</span> <span>overcoming her all in such a special way that never fails to make himself smile…</span></p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How could one such person fail to see the beauty in her joy?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak snaps out of his thoughts at her sudden question. She’s looking right at him, a tendril of hair that’s wrapped around a bottle of fizzy drink carrying said drink up to her mouth. She takes a sip, all the while raising her eyebrows in innocent curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes him a minute, having been stunned out of his train of thought, but he soon comes to understand what she’s referring to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>past regarding partners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not a question he would prefer to answer, to be frank. And not a question that’s probably appropriate given the circumstances.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But to be fair, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>the one who brought up this topic, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” He looks away, wrapping a claw around a golden-colored apple for a distraction. “Prime prohibited any relation as such with others, and it was considered a luxury reserved only for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what about in your time at the Fright Zone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak looks down the apple in his hand, eyebrows furrowed. He thinks back to his time at the Fright Zone, his mind flashing through the memories over the years there; though, there’s really no point in doing so. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s never considered anyone possibly being more than companions. Even further, he’s never even thought of going past the strictly professional relation of “second in command” or “force captain” with anyone. Friendship - or anything further - was never something that took place on his agenda. Perhaps it was due to what he was conditioned to believe because of Prime, or perhaps it was because he never felt as if he could connect with anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks up at Entrapta. He locks eyes with those ruby red irises that seem to always leave him entranced, unable to look away, unable to focus on anything else. The very same ones that made someone become something more than a strictly professional partner to him, that made him feel as if perhaps he wasn’t a doomed failure, that made him a strange type of connection he had never experienced before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, he understands Entrapta’s past. He understands her frustration with previous partners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one could seem to </span>
  <em>
    <span>understand </span>
  </em>
  <span>or make him feel as if he was actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>worthy</span>
  </em>
  <span> of such things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” Entrapta says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak blinks, brought back to a sudden reality once more, before speaking. “...No. There was not anyone. After all, I only spent my time in my sanctum, and I reserved most of my energy and thought towards the war. I never thought of dedicating time for other relations, and honestly, I never wished to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta nods before bringing the bottle back to the ground, now reaching instead for a tiny brownie. “Yeah, that makes sense - you know, with you being busy trying to conquer Etheria and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak smirks a bit at that. “Indeed. And...Well…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He suddenly bites his lip, not sure if he should continue what he was planning on admitting. It’s quite embarrassing because, truth is, he never even knew of the intricacies of relationships outside of friendship until Catra explained it to him. He wouldn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>be </span>
  </em>
  <span>here if he had never talked to her - unless, of course, Entrapta had spoken up about such a concept at one point. He isn’t certain if she would have, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta cocks her head to the side. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Hordak swallows. He might as well fully commit to confessing now. “I never really was aware of how to approach such a thing until...Catra. She informed me about it, and helped me to understand how to approach it. With you, I mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks away, his ears flattening almost parallel to the ground. He waits for Entrapta to answer, and the longer the silence drags on, the more tense his muscles get in wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s gaze snaps over. Perplexed, he watches as a wide smile pulls up the edges of Entrapta’s mouth, her entire face brightening with some sense of understanding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should’ve known! </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>what you two were talking about that one day after the meeting!” Her smile softens a bit as she continues, “I’m surprised I didn’t catch that you were lying to me when you said you two weren’t talking about anything. Normally that kind of thing is very obvious with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She giggles, and then one pigtail jumps out to poke Hordak’s one ear. “Your ears always go down when you lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels them snap up as a rush of embarrassment courses through him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not-</span>
  </em>
  <span>“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s really cute, actually,” Entrapta says, her tone giddy. Her eyes seem locked on his ears now, darting back and forth with amusement dazzling in their gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His free hand reaches up instinctively towards them, as if trying to shield them in some pathetically-attempted way. But, obviously, it’s no use. Warmth spreads on his cheeks, a terrible scarlet blush that he tries his best to fight yet is failing terribly in doing so. And even worse, he begins to feel the heat creep up to his ears as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Entrapta bursts into giggles at the sight. Her flushed face scrunches up, light laughter pouring from her lips and lavender hair seeming almost to curl in a bit on herself. And as Hordak looks a bit closer, he realizes that there </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>slight curls appearing in her hair with the laughter - an indirect thing that he assumes she can’t control, yet he finds himself viewing as endearing nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A smile of his own starts to make home on his lips, and he relaxes a bit, bringing the apple in his one grip up to his mouth to take a bite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can handle being a little embarrassed if it makes Entrapta smile - for who knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>reason she finds so amusing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her giggles finally subside, and she reaches down to grab another tiny snack. Hordak is already almost finished his one apple, and he places the core aside to grab another one to-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah! Look at that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At Entrapta’s exclamation, Hordak looks over at her. She’s pointing at the sky, her eyes shimmering with excitement at whatever seems to have caught her attention. He follows the direction of her pointer finger to see what she’s looking at, and after a second of searching, he finally seems to find it - a shooting star in the sky, its tail leaving behind a trail of glitter as it streaks across the black backdrop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never actually seen a shooting star before,” Entrapta says with awe, her words cut off as she takes a sip of fizzy drink. “Well, not in person, at least. I’ve seen pictures and drawings, of course, but that’s about the extent of it. They really are fascinating, aren’t they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak smirks - mostly out of reaction to seeing the sheer giddiness on Entrapta’s face - and says, “Yes, they are. I’ve seen a lot in my years traveling the galaxies, and while I never took the chance to truly admire them, you certainly are correct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden, Entrapta’s eyes widen. Her gloved hands ball up as small fists by her face, rocking side-to-side rapidly as she so often does when excited, and her hair lifts her body up a bit so she’s now level with Hordak’s gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oooh! Oooh! What else have you seen in your travels?” she asks, still rocking her hands. “Can you tell me about them? About what you saw?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak smiles - honest and pure, wide and genuine. Entrapta looks just so </span>
  <em>
    <span>thrilled </span>
  </em>
  <span>over the possibility of hearing about Hordak’s experiences in space, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>intrigued, </span>
  </em>
  <span>that he can’t help grinning. He leans back on his hands, creating just a bit of space between the two of them while still being able to look Entrapta face on, and she settles criss-crossed on top of her hair that she’s formed as a little chair, hands underneath her chin in waiting. He then opens his mouth to begin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, one thing I always found quite fascinating was the various black holes we would always view from time to time...”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>~~~</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“...And that’s about the extent that I can remember. I’m certain there are more elements of space I just cannot seem to recall, as of now at the very least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta nods, sipping the last of her fizzy drink with a stand of hair from her pigtails holding it to her lips. As she listened, those two pigtails remained structured as a chair to raise her up, though the way she sat varied the entire way though - sometimes on her stomach, sometimes resting on her side, sometimes sitting upright with her legs criss-crossed - and she went through lots of her snacks (as did Hordak).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the while, however, one thing remained constant. Her ruby eyes never left Hordak as he talked about the galaxies he’s traveled to - they stuck to him like glue, absolutely entranced at what he was saying and shimmering with glee at the topic they were on. The only moments they ever darted away was when Hordak would point at the sky to better describe something such as a planet, the moon, or the constellations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even more, a hint of a smile was left on her face throughout the conversation, along with a very intrigued look. And while she let Hordak tell his tales without interrupting, she couldn’t seem to hold back from inputting her own knowledge and personal commentary every few moments. Her voice was giddy and quick-paced, as if she couldn’t quite contain her joy and needed an outlet of words to let it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In general, though, it was, as Hordak could best put it, very endearing to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And honestly, he wished he could recall more about space to share with her. Anything to see her eyes light up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay!” she says, her one strand of hair placing the empty bottle on the blanket. Following suit, her pigtails unravel beneath her and set her back down on the ground, her legs now criss crossed with her hands tucked in between. She looks up at Hordak with a smile, adding, “If you remember, you can tell me! Right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak nods. “I will be sure to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She beams. “Great! I always would love to hear more. I mean, you know I already have studied a lot, but there’s always so much more to know!” Suddenly, her two pigtails go wide, spreading out in a sudden wave. “Space is so </span>
  <em>
    <span>vast</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and it’s always expanding, too. Which means that there could hypothetically be more and more aspects to it being created every day! Isn’t that fascinating? I believe-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak smirks a bit to himself, watching as Entrapta goes on a little rant. He assumes it’s pent-up energy from letting himself speak during most of his talk of his adventures, especially since most of what she inputted was short and polite to allow him to do a majority of the talking. But now that she’s finally allowed her own real time to speak, the pent-up energy has been released in the form of words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And something warm stirs within him as he watches. Something warm and new, something strange yet inviting. It spreads within him, and his smile brightens against his will as he continues studying her. He studies the way her lilac pigtails are used to narrate and express things, the way her gloved hands use a variety of gestures to describe things, the way her face glows with contentment at sharing information about one of her favorite topics.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She just looks so...</span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that burst of warmness consumes him, basking him in the delight at seeing Entrapta this way.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How could anyone possibly view this as something that’s bothersome?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak snaps to focus at Entrapta’s words. She’s quirking a brow at him, her head cocked to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” he echoes, probably a bit dumbly. Though, he’s not sure how else to reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Entrapta says, the hint of a shy smile making way on her lips. Her expression is still perplexed, although it’s somewhat amused as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta shrugs, and that shy smile of her widens as her gaze darts away. “Like I’m...I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s brow furrows - equally as confused. “I am not following you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like...Like I don't know. N-nevermind,” she finally spits out, pulling her gaze back. However, it’s awfully sheepish now, and a bit of a red tint is coloring her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, Hordak understands what she means.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he says, his eyes snapping away for a split second as well. “I’m sorry if I made you comfortable. You just looked...Well…As if you were enjoying yourself, talking about everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then swallows, finishing with, “And it’s endearing. To watch, I mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And all of a sudden, Entrapta’s face turns a deep red. Her mouth drops in surprise, eyes widening as well, and she looks away to the ground as if she couldn’t bare to make eye contact any longer. Two small tendrils of hair start to fiddle with each other, and her hands form right fists into between her criss crossed legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not-...It’s not-...endearing, or anything,” she mumbles, her words so quiet it’s almost impossible for Hordak to hear. A small, sheepish smile forms on her lips as she adds, “Don’t say that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak quirks a brow. “What? Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugs, still failing to meet his gaze. Her cheeks remain warm, and her hair strands fiddle faster and faster with each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s...That’s not true, Hordak. It‘s annoying. I-I’m sorry,” she finishes in a rush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confusion floods over Hordak. He gives a little shake of his head, despite the fact that Entrapta probably can’t see it anyway given her line of stare is set on the ground several yards away, and he uses his eyes to try to catch her gaze and pull her attention back. He can’t seem to get it that way, however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Entrapta, look at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinks a few times, as if her brain is stuck trying to decide on whether or not to look. Finally, she pulls her gaze over, and it locks with Hordak’s. Her eyes remain wide, her cheeks still tinted a flustered red, though her hair strands have finally stopped fiddling with each other. Instead, her body remains still, and the air is fragile glass around them, waiting to be shattered by any words or movement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It truly is, Entrapta. You look very happy, and I enjoy seeing you that way,” Hordak says, his voice growing strength the more words he speaks. “Why would you deny that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta shakes her head, and her gaze averts to the ground once more. “People don't normally like when I do that. So, I just don’t…No one’s ever…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her words trail off as a shy smile tugs as her lips, giving her head yet another little shake. She then brings her eyes up to meet Hordak’s, and her smile, albeit still flustered, widens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she says, giving a small nod. Her words are a bit awkward and stilted, but Hordak can feel the honest genuinity behind them, and he finds himself smiling as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Entrapta brings a rope of hair up, resting it snugly on top of Hordak’s one shoulder. It’s a common thing that he’s learned over time that she does - for her, it’s her own unique way to show affection. And that feeling of her soft hair atop his armor is a feeling he’s grown to love over time, grown to desire when he’s stressed or frustrated or overwhelmed or sad. And without fail, Entrapta is always there with her unique gentle touch of hair and reassuring smile to match.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Hordak eases into the touch a little, reveling in the strange warmth it brings him. He gazes into Entrapta’s ruby eyes, and she gazes back, her smile soft and eyes warm and expression inviting. The air around them is silent, and a sense of calmness blankets them amidst their little picnic they’ve created for themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Entrapta suddenly breaks the silence with a soft, almost timid voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Hordak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” he says, tilting his head just a smidge to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I kiss you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s heart stops.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kiss.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A word he’s heard often before, passed around the Fright Zone as whispering forbidden secrets whenever some sort of secret attraction between cadets seems to have blossomed. A word he understands to an extent, though has never come close to experiencing. A word he’s not sure how to approach, yet is now sitting right in front him as a clear invitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kiss.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallows. “I...I am not certain. How to do so, that is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta giggles, and another sudden tinge of deep rose colors her cheeks. “It’s not complicated or anything. Here, I can guide you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a stunned silence and with the drumming of his heartbeat echoing in his ears, Hordak watches as Entrapta’s two pigtails raise and carry her body forward to hover just a mere few inches from his face. From this distance, he can almost count the rare flecks of light pink in her ruby eyes, can almost detect the small blemishes in her otherwise smooth skin. He blinks, directly locking eyes with her, and she offers him an easy smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, just to be clear, are you okay with this?” she reaffirms, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. The soft material of her warm gloves almost seems to burn into him, and he finds the touch distracting. Welcome and pleasant, of course, but distracting nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods. He swallows again. He tries to ignore the thudding of his heart that thunders in his flattened ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that said, Entrapta leans in using her hand on his cheek to guide them both, and their lips meet.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Soft. Warm. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Those are the first things that come to mind as Hordak’s eyes flutter shut on instinct, some kind of strange buzz forming throughout his nerves. His ears seem to shut everything out around him as he focuses on that softness, that warmthness to her lips. His own work timidly against Entrapta’s as she guides him, going slow and easy. After about a second, Entrapta’s pigtails seem to guide her even closer, for the heat of her body presses fully against his own. Without any thinking, he raises a hand to cup side of Entrapta’s waist, holding her steady and drawing her further near.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then she pulls away. Her scarlet eyes are dreamy and glowing in the pale moonlight, and her light smile is full of affection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See? It’s pretty simple,” she says, her grin widening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak takes a moment, his brain lagging against his will and still drowning in that strange fuzzy sensation. He swallows yet again and gives a curt nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yes,” he says. He clears his throat, adding, “It is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She huffs out a small laugh before her pigtails retreat her back to sitting on the blanket. However, instead of sitting on the opposite side of the picnic basket as she was prior, she uses a wide strand of hair to quickly move away the basket and various snacks they left out. With that out of the way, she crawls in closer towards Hordak’s side - close enough to feel the heat of her body, but not close enough to be directly touching. However, after a second lapses, she fully closes the gap and rests her body fully against his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this okay?” she asks, looking up at Hordak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak nods without question. “Yes, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She curls her legs in then, wrapping a pigtail around his body for extra support and closeness. Hordak keeps his body upright with one hand outstretched behind him for support, and he uses his other hand to wrap around the back of Entrapta and rest lightly on her own arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And together, they both stare up at the stars above them. A tranquil silence blankets the air around them, the only sounds being the faint thud of their heartbeats and whisper of light wind circling around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak peers down at Entrapta. “Hm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For asking me. You know, on a date,” she pauses, and a shy smile makes way on her lips. “I haven’t really done dating for a while, but I forgot how nice it is, especially with the right person. It’s really fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak’s eyes widen just a bit, having caught one particular part of her sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>...Dating.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>dating.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And the realization sends a sudden flood of warmth throughout his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment without his response, Hordak notices Entrapta now looking up at him. And suddenly, her smile brightens. It brightens in that way that never fails to make Hordak’s heart freeze, that never feels to bring a tinge of blush to his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you think so?” she questions, cocking her head to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hordak smiles. His heart feels light, his body warm from the heat of her body still pressed against his, his nerves still reveling in the new sensations of fuzziness and tingling. He studies the person down in arms, at the way her eyes shimmer with something soft, at the way her smooth hair wraps around them, at the way her skin seems to glow in the pale moonlight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t even have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>question</span>
  </em>
  <span> how to answer that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I think so, too.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading! i really love writing these two, so i’m definitely hoping to have more for them in the future :) we’ll just have to see!</p><p>(also, come say hello on tumblr! i’m beckkii over there :))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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